Together We Are Strong

"Harry!" I hugged him. "I was so worried about you! We heard about the dementor attack and I - "

"Hayley! Stop! Let him breathe!" Ron said. I stepped back.

"Sorry." I said.

"Dumbledore said that? But why would he keep me in the dark? Maybe I could help. I’m the one who saw Voldemort return the one who fought him, who saw Cedric Diggory get killed." I flinched. Fred and George apparated into the room.

"Harry!" Fred said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"We thought we heard your dulcet tones." George said.

"Don't bottle it up though, mate. Let it out." Fred said.

"Anyway, if you're all done shouting..." George said.

"Do you wanna hear something a little more interesting?" Fred said. I grinned. This was how we had listened in on the Order's meetings. I fetched one of George's Extendable Ears. They had been making more and more joke products by the second.

We went out into the hall way and Fred slowly lowered the other ear down the crack through the staircase towards the door of the Order Of The Phoenix meeting. We listened to the muffled words.

"If anyone has a right to know, it's Harry!" Sirius said. "If it wasn't for Harry we wouldn't even know Voldemort was back! He's not a child, Molly!"

"But he's not an adult either!" She hissed back. "He's not James, Sirius!"

"Well, he's not your son!" He said.

"He's as good as. Who else has he got!" She growled. Ginny appeared behind us.

"Hey, Ginny." Harry said as she leaned in closer to listen.

"He's got me!" Sirius said.

"How touchingly paternal, Black." Snape said. "Perhaps Potter will grow up to be a felon, just like his godfather.

"Now, you stay out of this, Snivellus." Sirius said.

"Snape is in the Order?" Harry asked.

"Git." Ron said.

"About your supposed information?" Snape said. Crookshanks, Hermione's cat, meowed and pranced towards the ear. I looked at the twins.

"Get off it!" George hissed quietly.

"Quick!" Fred said.

"Get it up!" I said.

"Crookshanks!" Hermione called. "Leave it alone!" Crookshanks yanked it off the string and ran away with the other ear triumphantly.

"Hermione, I hate your cat." Fred said.

"Bad Crookshanks!" She scolded. I pulled the string up just as the door opened. I was about to walk downstairs with the rest of everyone else when Fred and George stopped me.

"You're of age now, Hayley." George said.

"You can take the easy way." Fred said. I remembered that last year we had learnt to apparate.

"Oh, right." I said. "Let's go then." I turned on the spot and popped downstairs. Fred and George appeared on either side of Mrs. Weasley.

"OH!" She jumped. "JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE ALLOWED TO USE MAGIC NOW DOES NOT MEAN YOU HAVE TO WHIP YOUR WANDS OUT FOR EVERYTHING! Of course, you're fine, Hayley dear." I smiled and followed Fred and George down to the kitchen.

"Hi Mum." Ginny said and followed us down.